With a New Foreword

The heartwrenching New York Times bestseller about the only known person born inside a North Korean prison camp to have escaped. Blaine Harden's latest book, King of Spies, will be available from Viking in Fall 2017.

North Korea’s political prison camps have existed twice as long as Stalin’s Soviet gulags and twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. No one born and raised in these camps is known to have escaped. No one, that is, except Shin Dong-hyuk.

In Escape From Camp 14, Blaine Harden unlocks the secrets of the world’s most repressive totalitarian state through the story of Shin’s shocking imprisonment and his astounding getaway. Shin knew nothing of civilized existence—he saw his mother as a competitor for food, guards raised him to be a snitch, and he witnessed the execution of his mother and brother.

The late “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il was recognized throughout the world, but his country remains sealed as his third son and chosen heir, Kim Jong Eun, consolidates power. Few foreigners are allowed in, and few North Koreans are able to leave. North Korea is hungry, bankrupt, and armed with nuclear weapons. It is also a human rights catastrophe. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people work as slaves in its political prison camps. These camps are clearly visible in satellite photographs, yet North Korea’s government denies they exist.

Harden’s harrowing narrative exposes this hidden dystopia, focusing on an extraordinary young man who came of age inside the highest security prison in the highest security state. Escape from Camp 14 offers an unequalled inside account of one of the world’s darkest nations. It is a tale of endurance and courage, survival and hope.

Length: 210 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled	Audible Narration: Audible Narration Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to the Audible narration with Whispersync for Voice. Add narration for a reduced price of $7.49 when you buy the Kindle book. Ready

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Product details

File Size: 7240 KB
Print Length: 210 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books (March 29, 2012)
Publication Date: March 29, 2012
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B005GSZZ1A
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,527 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Asia > Korea
- #7 in Books > History > Asia > Korea > North
- #20 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Asia

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Camp 14: From Hunger and Misery to Freedom

ByGus Venegason August 20, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

In Escape from Camp 14, Blaine Harden best seller masterfully allows us to know Shin, not as a hero but as a man, by telling us a story what was done to him by the repressive government of North Korea and what he was forced to do to survive. Shin was born in Camp 14, the son to two political prisoners, and was condemned from birth to a life of hunger and misery in forced labor. Prisoners in the camp were not taught to value things like friendship and family. Shin's higher power in the camp were food, the guards and the government teachers, from many of whom he suffered sadistic beatings and torture. He was taught to inform on family and friends- and to feel indifference and no remorse for doing so. This was evident when one of his teachers beat to death a six year old classmate.

When Shin was 13 years old, he told the night guard of his school with another boy of the escape plan by his mother and brother, as informing was something he was taught to do from an early age, and he hoped to be rewarded. However, the school night guard took full credit for discovering the plan, and rather than being rewarded, Shin was arrested and guards tortured him for four days to extract more information, believing him to be part of the plan to escape. After approximately seven months spent in a tiny concrete prison cell, Shin and his father were forced to watch the public executions of Shin's mother and brother.

At age 23, Shin decides to escape with fellow prisoner Park. Park attempted to go through thru an electric fence first, but was fatally electrocuted. Shin managed to escape using Park's body as a shield to ground the current, but still suffered severe burns and permanent scars when his legs slipped onto the lowermost wire as he crawled over Park's body. After escaping, Shin broke into a nearby farmer's barn and found an old military uniform. Wearing the uniform, he was able to pass for a North Korean soldier. He survived by scrounging and stealing food. Eventually, he reached the northern border with China and bribed destitute North Korean border guards with food and cigarettes. After spending some time working as a laborer in different parts of China, Shin was accidentally found by a journalist in a restaurant, who brought him to the South Korean embassy for asylum. Living in the US today, Shin does work as a human rights advocate.

0Comment 30 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Simply horrifying.

ByNickTron March 22, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Once you've started this book, it's very difficult to put down.

How this man survived the brutality of a 'Total Control' North Korean prison camp is impossible to conceive. From watching classmates being beaten to death and his mother and brother being executed, to being tortured over hot coals at the age of 13 and suffering near starvation for the first 24 years of his life, to the soul-destroying work ethic and unparalleled cruelty of the prison guards, how Shin Dong-hyuk is still alive, let alone now living happily in America, is breathtaking. His story is heartbreaking from the very beginning, yet his ability to keep on going in the face of absolute punishment will inspire all who read about it. The worst day you've ever had, will likely pale in comparison to a normal day in the life of this guy.

Blaine Harden has done a great job of presenting the details, and obviously cultivated a strong relationship with Shin. The book is short but there's more than enough in there for you to appreciate the gravity of the situation in North Korea, and its relationship with both South Korea and China.

Worth every penny.

1717 comments 330 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

As a South Korean, I felt so ashamed of me after listening to the audio book.

ByDonghoon May 20, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is my first book review. I am a voracious reader. However, I did not write a book review until I listened to the audio book. One of the reasons that I did not write a book review was because I was not a native English speaker. Writing in English was not easy to me. However, after listening to the book, I felt like I had to write anything, at least saying thanks to the author and Shin, the protagonist, who had to endure unimaginable horror and is brave enough to share his story with the world.

Before I listened to the audio book, I had a vague idea of North Korea. For example, NKorean dictator, Kim Jung Il is less human, mentally ill and very dangerous. He exploited NKoreans and let them starve to death. As the author mentioned in the book, I was one of many SKoreans who were simply ignorant and indifferent to Nkorea. I felt sorry for them but that was it. Their story was one of the typical stories of poor communist countries. Their miserable and horrible story did not affect me on personal level until I encountered the book. It was a shocking and eye opening experience to me. Its horrifying story scared me to death. I had to pause many times listening to the book because I could not stop crying, or simply bear his horrible experience any more.

After reading the book, I referred it to my family and friends hoping that more SKoreans be aware of the serious problems of NKoreans. I pray for NKoreans whose rights have been completely violated by their greedy, stupid, and less human dictators, Kim's family. I still do not know what exactly I can do to help NKoreans but I will make my efforts to let more SKoreans know the dire reality of NKoreans. I will continue to have interest in unification of two Koreas and support LiNK (Liberty in North Korean).

Again, I sincerely thank to Shin whose courage is indescribable, unimaginable, and inspirational. Thanks to him, I realize that my complaints on life is just luxurious excuses. I envy his inner strength. I pray for his inner peace and freedom. I am also grateful to the author who made Shin's story available to the world in such a powerful way.

22 comments 95 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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Most recent customer reviews

This story is also about the extraordinary difficulties endured by those who are fortunate enough to escape totalitarian rule

What has happened, and is happening today, in North Korea is a tragedy. This story is also about the extraordinary difficulties endured by those who are fortunate enough to...Read more

Published 2 days ago by Sheila Vaughan

... but a very needed book on what life is like for many North Koreans

Hard to read but a very needed book on what life is like for many North Koreans.

Published 2 days ago by joy19

Sometimes tough to read

I'm glad this was written with such detail & updates. I also like that the author filled in much information between the lines as well.Read more

Published 4 days ago by Tammy H. Price

What she asked for

Well package, what I asked for..

Published 9 days ago by DAVID

An eye opener

Very well written book which seems to fly by. The author does a tremendous job of alternating between life in the camps and the broader political situation in NK.Read more

Published 15 days ago by Michael McCullough

Hard to image it can be real

Chilling insight into N Korea and Kim Jong Un family.

Published 20 days ago by Donna V

Good Reading

Creditble story of escape from North Korea by a man who experienced the worst of NK's treatment of it's own people. Very interesting.

Published 22 days ago by T' Wretched Reviewer With Malice Aforethought

Escape from reality

WOW ! A truly eye opening look into life in North Korea. One doesn't need to have an imagination, as Shin hides nothing.

Published 23 days ago by Karen

Five Stars

great read

Published 25 days ago by Scarlet

Remarkable

I enjoyed reading this book and found it gives the reader a deep insight into N Korea and the struggles of its people.Read more

Published 25 days ago by laura Amazon Customer

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